Collapsible tube holder



y 2 19.5@ E. c. LOESSER 2,508,722

COLLAPSIBLE TUBE HOLDER Filed Dec. 28, 1945 C P /i' Z2 Z0 [.9 i f4 INVENTOR- 1 2 [/Wi'fl loesser Q7 a PM ATTORNEY fatented May 23, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COLLAPSIBLE TUBE HOLDER Edwin C. Loesser, Glen Ridge, N. J.

Application December 28, 1945, Serial No. 637,525

3 Claims. (01. 222-100) This invention relates to tube holders and more particularly, to devices for holding collapsible tubes and particularly, the common collapsible tubes containing therein a paste, cream. or the like such as tooth paste, shaving cream or the like. One of the main objects of this invention is to provide a device of this character which is of rugged and simple construction and which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture. The invention consists, in the preferred construction and on .the left hand side of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view looking upwardly towards the I bottom of Figure l, but with the tube removed therefrom.

Figure 4 is a side view of the device shown in Figure 3 and is taken on the right hand side thereof.

Figure 5 is a sectional view illustrating the manner in which the cream or paste depleted portion of the tube is rolled.

Figure 6 is a side view similar to Figure l, but with the handle and ratchet combination removed.

Figure '7 is a top plan view of a preformed blank, certain parts of which may be bent with relation to certain other parts in order to provide a supporting frame.

Figure 8 is an end view of the blank shown in Figure 6.

. As shown in Figure 7, there is provided a blank I which is roughly of T configuration and consists of an elongated cross piece II having a relatively wide tail member I2 integral therewith and extending therefrom. The blank I0 is preferably a thin sheet composed of any suitable metal such Y openings I1 and I8 extend through the cross arm I I near the free longitudinal end thereof and are located within the side planes of the tail I2. An opening I9 extends through the cross arm II at the mid-length thereof and close to the line of juncture between cross arm II and tail I2.

A relatively small opening 20 extends through the arm I I, is located near one edge of the arm I I and is roughly between the openings I and I9. The cross arm' II has a guide slot 2| therein communicating with the opening I6 and generally being in the form of a chute... The blank II] as shown in Figure 6, may be readily and easily produced. After the blank II] as shown in Figure6, has been produced, .theouter ends of the arm II arev bent upwardly toprovide a pair of roughly similar ears 22 and 23 disposed parallel to each other andhaving openings I5 and It in alignment with each other. A line through the center of said openings I5 and I6 is approximately parallel to that part of the original cross arm II having the openings lI-IS therein. Then the tail I2 is bent towards the mid-portion of original cross arm II so that it is located between the inner opposing face of the ears 22 and 23. The

inner face of the curvilinear portion I3 is normally located adjacent to the openings I5 and It and the lip I4 extends outwardly, a slight distance beyond the outer extremities of the ears 22 and 23.

A ri id hollow tubular member 24 has anarrow elongated slot 25 therein extending lengthwise from one extremity of member 24 to a point near but spaced from the other extremity thereof.

That extremity of said tube through which said slot 25 extends, is bent outwardly to provide a narrow outwardly extending flange or lip 26. The length of the tubular member 24 is materially greater than the distance between ears 22 and 23. The length of the slot 25 is greater than the distance between ears 22 and 23, but less than the length of member 24.

A thin rigid fiat spring metal member 30 has a tail 3| integral therewith and depending therefrom. p The member 30 has an opening 32 therethrough. The width of the opening 32 is just slightly greater than the diameter of the tubular member 24 and its length is materially greater than said diameter. The free end of the tail is bent to provide a retaining element. A part of the member 30 is bent outwardly to provide a grip element and pawl- 33. A small diameter grip wheel or handle 35 is integral with a ratchet wheel 36 and this integral assembly has an opening therethrough adapted to accommodate the tubular member 24.

This novel device may be readily and easily assembled. The frame element consisting of the parallel ears 22 and 23 together with the resilient backing element I2 in the relative positions as shown in Figure 3, is placed on a supporting table, then the bent portion of tail 3| is inserted through the opening 20 and the free extremity thereof portion of the original cross arm II.

} face of the remainder of tail 3i and element 30 bears against the inner face of the intermediate The inner outer face of element 30. Then the handle and ratchet assembly is disposed adjacent element 30,

with the longitudinal opening therethrough being in communication with the openings I5 and 32. The tubular member 24 is now through openings l5, I6 and 32 in that order and finally into the opening of the handle and Vratchetassembly with which-it is and rigidly fixed .in any convenient manner. The handle and ratchet assembly locks one end of the tubular member, from sliding longitudinally and the flange 26 looks the other end of member 24 for thesamepurpose while the tubular member may be rotated.

The lower edge of pawl 33 normally engages a tooth of the ratchet wheelgSiand is normally maintained in this position by the automatic spring action of tail 3|. In this constructionthe handle 35 may be rotated to rotate the tubular emember 24 ina clock-wise directioniwhereupon the pawl slips over the teeth of the ratchetavheel. :Inorder to rotate the tubular member :24 in-za counter clock-wise direction, :itis necessary to move the paW1 33 to inoperativeposition. This maybe -done by pushing the element 3!) rearwardlytodisengage the pawl from the ratchet wheel. Then upon release of element 30, the ele- --ment iidmoves automatically back whereupon the pawl-is in operative position. -The aforedescribeddevice, illustrated in Figure -;3, may be mounted on any support such as a wall or the like. In mounting the device, itis placed-in "the-positions shown iii-Figure 1 and screwsor other connecting means are inserted through openings 17,18 and 19 to anchor'the-deviceto the supporting wall. -Thehandle '35 is turned clockwise until the-slct-2I in ear23 is in communicating relationship with the slot 25 in the tubular member -24. Then thesealedend-of a collapsible tube N is-inserted into the open end of slotand slot 2|, then pushedso that it slides -in-slot 25 and ultimately has its side edgeslocatedwell withinthe innerfaces of the ears 22 and- 23. C01- lapsible tubes, similar to tube lfillgenerallyhave an elongated narrow channel l0! atthe-sea-led -end. This channel in! is locatedentirelywithin "the tubular member-24 andits free longitudinal edges bear against the inside of that part of mem- -'-ber--24 adjacent theslot to--25 to maintain the sealed end of the tube therein. A-f-ter-coupling the J tube IOU-with themounted novel device, the tube isin thepositionshown in-Figure 1. The'cap -ma-y be removed from-the dischargeend -lil2-of -the-tube whichis now ready for use. When-some of-the contents of tlie tube-is desired, the-thumb and-iorefinger grip the tube to squeeze the same whereupon some -of its contentsareexpelled. -Af-ter the'tube has-beemdepletedof an appre- =ciable quantity of the cream orpaste originally ---contained-therein,- that portion of thetube 100 close to the novel device is-squeezed-- inorder to --movemost of the-materialthereintowards the discharge end or the tube. Then the handle 35 turned clockwise to roll up thefiattened portiOnS of the tube against the automatic pressure action of the spring plate 12. a number of times, the tubemay be in thecondition shown in Figure 5, and after the tube has become completely depleted of paste or creamconftained therein, the elementis pushed against the action of the bent tail 3| to move pawl 33 out of operative position whereupon the pawl '33 is moved out ofengagement with the teeth of-the locking ratchet. While the pawl33 is maintained in inoperative position,- the dischargeend I02 of tube 160 is pulled and the collapsed tube is unrolled from the tubular member 24. When the **tubular member 24 has no winding of'collapsed tube therein, but on the-sealed end-ofthetube therein; the 'slot 25 isin-the position shownin 'Figure -3. Then the sealed end of-the-collapsible tube is slid out of the tubular member 24, through Ellie slotted extremity of member 24 and the slot ,Iclaim:

1. A collapsible tube mounting and supporting ,deviee comprising a base, a plurality of sides, said sides being connected to said base extending .1 therefrom. and being spaced from each other, an opening extending through each of said sides, a hollow shaft extending through said openings and projecting; outwardly from said sides, said shaft having a longitudinal slot therein, said slot extendingthrough one extremity of said tubular shaft and communicating with the space within saidshait, a .handle secured-l te .one: end; otiasaid shaft for rotating said .shaft; said ,handleebeing adjacent one ofsaidsides, asslotiin saidother side, said slot in said other ..side.: communicating .with theopening in. and extending, through an edge .0! :saidpther side, .the slottedother endof said shaft -extending through said. opening in said other side, and when saidshaft isin oneposition, said-slot in said other side communicating-with .thespaee within said shaft-via said slot in said shaft forginsertion of the normally. sealed end of,,,said',col lapsible tube.

2. A collapsible tube mounting. and supporting devicecomprisinga base, a pair of spacedears secured to said 1 base and 1 extending therefrom, each of: saidears-having zantransverse. opening atherethrough, an. elongated member rotatably mounted in said openingsv and spaced: f-romxsaid base, one of said-ears having a:slot:.-therein extending through. an edge. thereof, .said slot, .com- --municating I with, :said opening (therein, :said elongated member having an elongated slot therein extending through that extremity...thereoa;lo- --cated adiacent said ear having said.slot,a.handle connected to said elongated memben :for rotating said member said slots communicating with each 4 other when said elongated member upon r. rotation is in a predetermined position.

3. A collapsible tube mountingandsupporting -device comprisinga base a pair of .spacedears secured --to said --base and extending therefrom, each of said ears having a transverseopening therethrough, a hollow tubular member: extend- --ing--thr0ugh said openings, a handlesecuredvto said tubular. member at: that portion thereof adjacent one of said ears, a longitudinal slot-inisaid tubular member,--said longitudinal slot:extending through one extremity of said tubular member, a --slotin and --extending= througlran edge ofasaid -other ear and -communicating with said opening therein, the end of--said tubularmember remote fromsaid --handle--being -'-adjacent said other-ear After this isdone,

- and having said 1 longitudinal slotaextending through the extremity thereof, said tubular member uponrotation to a predetermined -.posi-tion *having said longitudinal-slot therein communieating with said slotinsaidother ear for insertion e of r the normally sealedend '-'of 1 said collapsible tube.

EDWIN C5 LOESSER. 

